Alo Nudger Series

ALO NUDGER SERIES

Published by St. Martin's Press

About this series

Alo Nudger (just call him Nudger) is a St. Louis private eye. He appears in ten novels, starting with Buyer Beware, and in several short stories. One of them, Ride the Lightning, won an Edgar Award. Nudger has a rueful sense of humor and a sensitive stomach that kicks up whenever he's in danger. Which means that he suffers a lot of stomach trouble.

Beautiful troubled women, wily crooked lawyers, ruthless rich men, clever brutal murderers, and XL-sized tough guys all threaten Nudger. Fortunately, he has allies: his alluring lover Claudia, his friend Detective Hammersmith of the St. Louis Police Department. and Danny, who owns the doughnut shop under Nudger's office and is always offering him free doughnuts. Too bad about that stomach.

Oops!(1998)

Acquiring a sexy novice P.I. associate along the way, veteran sleuth Alo Nudger is investigating the not-so-mysterious death of Betty Almer when his client, Mr. Almer, unexpectedly dies in a suspicious house fire.

Death by Jury(1995)

Hired by an eccentric attorney to learn the facts behind a murder case, private investigator Nudger looks for answers from the defendant's sister, a sensuous next-door neighbor, an embittered sister-in-law, and a mysterious antiques dealer.

Thicker Than Blood(1993)

When shy, country girl-woman Norva Beane hires Alo Nudger to investigate a possible securities fraud, he thinks it will be a routine case. He doesn't realize it will involve a wandering daughter, drug dealers, a dangerous, tattooed muscleman, a dysfunctional family, and a poignant past that refuses to release its grip on anyone involved.

Nudger, his lady love Claudia Bettencourt, and his friends Lieutenant Jack Hammersmith and Danny Evers are all touched by a tragedy by that continues to unfold in surprising directions no matter how hard Nudger tries to stop it. The suspense becomes riveting as trouble builds and answers lead to more questions and more danger.

Diamond Eyes(1990)

Private detective Alo Nudger matches wits with an unscrupulous insurance investigator, a sadist, and a terminally ill killer as he searches for a million-dollar cache of stolen diamonds and the murderer of his client, Vanita White.

Time Exposure(1989)

A freelance photographer, an Amway saleswoman, and an unscrupulous gangster are among the characters encountered by Al Nudger during his investigation into a missing assistant city comptroller, who disappeared with half a million dollars in city funds.

Dancer's Debt(1988)

Detective Alo Nudger, who is recruited by a "professional companion" to investigate the cause of her lover's manic depression, uncovers a host of unbecoming activities among some members of St. Louis high society.

Ride the Lightning(1987)

No one thought Curtis Colt had been railroaded for the shooting of a liquor store owner, least of all St. Louis private investigator Alo Nudger. It had been an open-and-shut case of cold-blooded murder, and the people of Missouri were just waiting for Colt to be strapped into the electric chair-after all, three eyewitnesses couldn't be wrong. But as time runs out on the convicted killer, Nudger receives a call from Candy Ann Adams, Colt's fiancé, who insists he's innocent-because she knows who really pulled the trigger. Much to his surprise, Nudger comes across new evidence that convinces him that maybe Candy Ann is right-maybe the wrong man has been sentenced to "ride the lighting"....

Right to Sing the Blues (1986)

Private investigator Alo Nudger is hired by nightclub owner Fat Jack McGee to investigate the background of Willy Hollister, a jazz keyboard musician, who has become involved with Ineida Mann, daughter of a powerful, vengeful financier.

Nightlines(1984)

In spite of his loathing for murder cases, private investigator Alo Nudger takes on a case that draws him into the late-night telephone subculture of St. Louis in search of the psychopathic killer who brutally murdered his client's twin sister.

Buyer Beware(1976)

Kidnap proves only the prelude to a diabolically clever scheme of fraud and murder in this vivid tale of taut suspense. Private investigator Alo Nudger didn't have to think twice about accepting the $2,500 fee from Gordon Clark, whose seven-year-old daughter had been "kidnapped" by his ex-wife, Joan. After all, the pay was good, and the job seemed simple enough: bring young Melissa back from Florida to her frantic father. Nudger arrives at his destination to find only an empty house but soon locates Melissa in the safekeeping of a neighbor and reckons his job is done... or is it? For now Joan is missing, and the man she and Melissa had been living with is murdered. Nudger's new proposition from an equally distraught parent—Joan's father—is not so readily appealing as before. Fifty thousand dollars to locate a missing person is a tempting sum, indeed—assuming Alo Nudger can stay alive long enough to enjoy it.